Gegard Mousasi: If Mark Munoz wants to wrestle, 'I have some tricks'

BERLIN – It may not come as a terrible shock that UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi isn’t batting an eye over his next opponent’s promise to exploit his supposed weakness.

“Probably he’s going to surprise me with a little standup before he tries to take me down,” Mousasi told MMAjunkie. “I know his game plan; he knows my game plan. But I have some tricks.”

That’s about as bold as the laconic Mousasi (34-4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) can be for his meeting with Mark Munoz (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 41, which takes place Saturday at O2 World Berlin in Germany. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

Munoz made his intentions clear when he gave a recent interview in which he said Mousasi’s wrestling was weak and would be challenged during the fight. At a pre-event media day, he doubled down on those comments and said it wasn’t much of a secret that he would try to use his wrestling to win.

Munoz boasts an NCAA wrestling title from Oklahoma State University, so if there’s anyone with the credentials to impose a fight on the mat, it’s him.

Mousasi, however, brushes aside the notion that fans will see 25 minutes of grappling.

“This is not a wrestling fight, and if he wants to wrestle, he’s got to close the distance,” Mousasi said. “We’re going to see how that goes.”

Whether it’s with an extended knee, kick or punch that backs off Munoz, Mousasi certainly needs things to go better if he’s to get back into title contention. Now 1-1 in the UFC following a title-winning run in the now-defunct Strikeforce, he said he needs two or three “good wins” against quality opposition before he’s in the conversation for a title. Munoz, meanwhile, believes it’s a shorter gap, with the winner needing one more high-profile win.

Both fighters were stymied by current No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida, who in July challenges champ Chris Weidman for the belt. But Mousasi said it was his mindset that led him astray.

“I wasn’t nervous at all, and every time I’m nervous, I perform better,” he said. “I didn’t come short on anything fighting; it wasn’t like he overwhelmed me. But I think I came short on strategy and game plan, changing the way I was fighting him.

“But I feel I’m at the top level (of competition). I think I can can compete against anyone – gameplan was what I did wrong against Machida.”

Mousasi, of course, doesn’t plan on making the mistake of choosing the wrong strategy, or simply failing to adapt. He said he is planning on imposing his will and wearing him down.

Fans, meanwhile, might never see his nerves in a noticeable way, but they might be able to judge whether Mousasi was motivated by them.

“I don’t care – this is my job, so I have to do it the best I can,” he said when asked if his demeanor led fans to think he’s disinterested. “Nothing more than that.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.